Dewayne Washington and Marvin Sutton are among the candidates in the May 1 election
Lydia Regalado
campus editor
Alumni Dewayne Washington and Marvin Sutton gained some of their first political experiences at TCC. Now, both are among candidates on the ballot for City of Arlington Mayor.
“I think my time at TCC, then TCJC, absolutely impacted my decision to run,” Washington said.
Washington attended TCC and obtained a bachelor’s in organizational leadership
from Bethel University. He owns multiple businesses including a film company.
Washington went to O.D. Wyatt High School, right next door to South Campus, and was on his way to the University of North Texas until a counselor reached out and told him about the opportunities at TCC. It changed the trajectory of his life.
He started a student exchange program where he learned to respect different cultures and other students’ journeys. It was an opportunity to look beyond what can be seen, he said.
“The way I can understand different people’s mentality, where they’re coming from, their background and being able to speak the language, I learned those ideas at TCC,” Washington said.
By his second year, he was student body president and a member of the Texas Junior College Student Government Association, a student government for the entire state of Texas. Before he could vote, he was writing laws, and at 18 years old he was on the Senate floor.
“I truly believe TCC is a gem that a lot of people have no idea that it’s really there,” he said.
Upon his many goals, Washington wants to improve education.
He said a good school ecosystem begins at home. A family who is struggling economically affects a child’s school performance. He wants to make sure children receive the education they deserve in order to help sustain their own economy.
“Let’s not just bring in a ton of developers from outside the city and outside the state,” Washington said. “You don’t want a city with great buildings and it looks phenomenal, but has broken people.”
Washington obtained a degree in organizational leadership from Bethel University. Now, he is a senior pastor at Love Church in Arlington and owns several businesses including a film company.
Arlington councilman and Air Force Veteran Marvin Sutton was new to politics before he took a government class with professor Anita Hill. He voted in the Texas primary for the first time in 2000 and learned about precinct conventions using his textbook as a guide.
After he became a delegate for the county convention, he sent professor Hill an email saying he had become a delegate for presidential candidate Al Gore.
“I learned about politics from Tarrant County College,” Sutton said.
Sutton obtained several associates degrees at TCC before obtaining a bachelor’s
degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Sutton obtained several degrees from TCC — an associate of applied science and an arts degree — and went on to graduate magna cum laude from the University of Texas at Arlington.
“I would have never thought in a million years that I would have an opportunity to run for mayor,” he said.
Sutton’s journey to becoming a current council member for District 3 in Arlington was difficult. He lost five consecutive times, but won in 2019. He became the first African American to be elected to the single-member district since its inception, and the fourth public office holder for that district.
One of his main goals is to build trust and reconnect citizens back to Arlington City Hall.
“City hall belongs to the people, and I never forget that,” Sutton said.
General election for Arlington Mayor is on May 1.
Washington and Sutton encourage students to become involved with their community and make their voices heard.
“Never ever walk away from your vote,” Sutton said.
